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It took nine games but it happened, Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel finally took its first winning streak of the new PBA season.
The Gin Kings won back-to-back games for the first time in the 2017 Philippine Cup after stopping Blackwater Friday, 99-90, at the Cuneta Astrodome.
With the Elite erasing a 15-point lead to tie things upo at 82-all early in the fourth quarter, Ginebra displayed some championship composure and responded with an 11-2 run to re-establish control, 93-84, with less than five minutes to go.
It was then cruise control for the Gin Kings to wrap up their fifth win against four defeats, forcing a four-team tie for the 3rd-6th spots in the standings.
Blackwater dropped to solo seventh with an even 5-5 card.
'They [Blackwater] just kept hanging in there, they even came back and tied it up,' head coach Tim Cone said.
'I just felt tonight we had more depth than them, especialy after Japeth went out. Dave stepped in, played well, Jervy stepped in and played well. We just had more depth than them and I think that's the difference,' he added.
With Japeth Aguilar going down in the first half following a bad fall off a dunk, it took a collective team effort from the Ginebra frontline to make up for his absence.
Jervy Cruz came off the bench to lead the Gin Kings in scoring while Dave Marcelo and Joe Devance combined to score 26. LA Tenorio dropped 15 while Scottie Thompson was Scottie Thompson, posting a near triple-double with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.
Aguilar himself scored 14 points in just 14 and a half minutes of play. He did not return in the second half.
For the second straight game, Roi Sumang starred for the Elite as the former UE Red Warrior came away with 20 points on a reserve role while Mac Belo and Raymond Aguilar chipped in 16 apiece for Blackwater.
The scores:
GINEBRA 99 - Cruz 16, Tenorio 15, Aguilar 14, Thompson 13, Devance 13, Marcelo 13, Ellis 6, Mercado 5, Ferrer 2, Caguioa 2, Taha 0.
BALCKWATER 90 - Sumang 20, Belo 16, Aguilar 16, Sena 14, Dela Cruz 7, Gamalinda 6, Miranda 5, Buenafe 4, Pascual 2, Ababou 0, Pinto 0.
Quarterscores: 25-23, 53-40, 80-71, 99-90
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Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8 .....»»

If Blackwater is truly serious about being a true PBA contender, then passing a crucial test Friday is going to be big for the Elite.
Fresh from winning their fifth game last week, their most in one conference and only two short of their entire total last season, the Elite battle Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel with a chance to go for a top 2 finish on the line.
With one playoff bonus still up for grabs, a win by Blackwater certainly gives the Ever Bilena franchise an inside track especially since eight teams basically remain in contention to join defending champion San Miguel Beer at the top.
Being one of those eight teams, the Gin Kings would like to further their own campaign by notching what would be their first winning streak for the season.
Through eight games so far, the reigning Governors' Cup champions have stumbled to an even 4-4 mark but the team is coming off a huge win over rival Meralco back in Iloilo City.
Gametime is set at 7:00 p.m. from the Cuneta Astrodome.
Also one of the eight teams in contention for a top 2 spot, Rain or Shine takes on a free-falling Meralco Bolts in the first game at 4:15 p.m., looking to bounce back from a sorry loss at the hands of the Beermen.
Armed with a 5-3 record, the Elasto Painters are out to make sure they maintain solo second place for at least a day while the Bolts simply want to arrest a six-game slide.
The Bolts are currently tied for last place with a woeful 2-7 card. .....»»

Roi Sumang is starting to show his true potential after spending much of his rookie season in obscurity.
Selected 27th overall by GlobalPort in 2015, the pint-sized Sumang only played 27 games in 8.4 minutes, producing underwhelming numbers of 3.4 points, 0.7 rebound and 0.7 assist with the GlobalPort Batang Pier and late in his rookie year, with the Blackwater Elite.
But the former University of the East star seemed right at home now with Blackwater.
Coming off the bench, Sumang provided the big spark, firing 17 of his 19 points in the second half as Blackwater pulled the rug from under fancied Alaska, 103-100 on Sunday for a franchise-best fifth win.
The 26-year-old Sumang showed quick hands and feet, attacking Alaska’s defense repeatedly with hard drive to the basket to help Blackwater establish a double-digit spread in the final period. Although the Aces came back strong, Sumang and veteran teammate Denok Miranda sank crucial free throws late in the game to seal the win.
But more importantly, the native of Tondo, Manila was a steady defensive presence after finishing the game with 3 steals, while issuing 2 assists to seal the win for Blackwater.
Sumang’s sterling effort earned him the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of Jan. 9-15, beating the likes of Mahindra guard Philip Paniamogan, San Miguel Beer slot man June Mar Fajardo, GlobalPort high-scoring guard Terrence Romeo, Barangay Ginebra forward Joe Devance, Star wingman Allen Maliksi and big man Ian Sangalang as well as Calvin Abueva of Alaska.
Although Sumang also took home the Best Player of game honors, the diminutive Blackwater playmaker vows to work harder in practice as the Elite shoot for a playoff spot in the All-Filipino conference.
Blackwater clashes with Barangay Ginebra this Friday, before closing its elimination round assignment against Star on January 25. .....»»

Roi Sumang is starting to show his true potential after spending much of his rookie season in obscurity.
Selected 27th overall by GlobalPort in 2015, the pint-sized Sumang only played 27 games in 8.4 minutes, producing underwhelming numbers of 3.4 points, 0.7 rebound and 0.7 assist with the GlobalPort Batang Pier and late in his rookie year, with the Blackwater Elite.
But the former University of the East star seemed right at home now with Blackwater.
Coming off the bench, Sumang provided the big spark, firing 17 of his 19 points in the second half as Blackwater pulled the rug from under fancied Alaska, 103-100 on Sunday for a franchise-best fifth win.
The 26-year-old Sumang showed quick hands and feet, attacking Alaska’s defense repeatedly with hard drive to the basket to help Blackwater establish a double-digit spread in the final period. Although the Aces came back strong, Sumang and veteran teammate Denok Miranda sank crucial free throws late in the game to seal the win.
But more importantly, the native of Tondo, Manila was a steady defensive presence after finishing the game with 3 steals, while issuing 2 assists to seal the win for Blackwater.
Sumang’s sterling effort earned him the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of Jan. 9-15, beating the likes of Mahindra guard Philip Paniamogan, San Miguel Beer slot man June Mar Fajardo, GlobalPort high-scoring guard Terrence Romeo, Barangay Ginebra forward Joe Devance, Star wingman Allen Maliksi and big man Ian Sangalang as well as Calvin Abueva of Alaska.
Although Sumang also took home the Best Player of game honors, the diminutive Blackwater playmaker vows to work harder in practice as the Elite shoot for a playoff spot in the All-Filipino conference.
Blackwater clashes with Barangay Ginebra this Friday, before closing its elimination round assignment against Star on January 25. .....»»

Facing a signature comeback by the veteran Aces, the Elite turned to two of their young guns to bail them out.
Fortunately, those two young guns responded.
Roi Sumang scored 17 points in the second half to power Blackwater's surge, escaping Alaska with a narrow 103-100 decision Sunday the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup at the Big Dome.
Sumang played big especially down the stretch, scoring an and-one play to give the Elite a 98-91 lead with 1:21 to go.
However, in typical Alaska fashion, the Aces refused to give up, cutting the lead down to two just 10 seconds later before Sumang flashed tremendous mental toughness, making another three free throws to create some much-needed separation. Up 103-100 with three seconds left, the Elite watched Calvin Abueva miss a wild three-point attempt and that was the game.
Sumang ended up with 19 points on 70 percent shooting but it wasn't actually him who led Blackwater in scoring. That honor belonged to rookie Mac Belo who put up 21 points on only 10 shots including a crucial conversion with 1:45 left that gave the Elite a six-point lead, stopping Alaska's 11-0 run.
The win snapped Blackwater's two-game slide and their fifth win against four defeats put them in solo third. Alaska dropped to 4-4. .....»»

div>ROB HARRIS, AP Global Soccer Writer /div>
div> /div>
div>LONDON (AP) — Diego Costa's Chelsea career could be coming to a fiery abrupt end, in a setback to the English Premier League leaders' pursuit of the title. /div>
div> /div>
div>The league top-scorer has not traveled with Chelsea to Leicester following a dispute with the coaching staff, and won't be playing against the champions on Saturday, a person familiar with the situation told The Association Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity on Friday because they were not authorized to discuss Costa being dropped from the team. /div>
div> /div>
div>The discord between Antonio Conte's side and Costa follows the striker becoming aware of interest from China, the person said, referencing the country's wealthy and ambitious Super League. /div>
div> /div>
div>Costa's only response on Friday was an Instagram post which featured the message 'Come on Chelsea!!!' followed by a heart symbol. /div>
div> /div>
div>The Daily Mail newspaper's website first reported on Friday that the dispute was over whether Costa was injured. /div>
div> /div>
div>The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported online that Costa is aware of a Chinese club willing to pay him more than $30 million a year, but Chelsea is determined to hold onto its most influential player. The Spain international, who joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in 2014, has 14 goals in the league this season and is under contract until 2019. /div>
div> /div>
div>Costa has been a vital component in Chelsea's revival after the team went from champions to an 11th-place finish last season. /div>
div> /div>
div>Chelsea has a five-point lead over Liverpool after its 13-match winning streak was ended by Tottenham in the team's last league game. /div>
div> /div>
div>Chelsea has already sold two players — John Obi Mikel and Oscar — to Chinese Super League clubs in the last month. Chelsea made 60 million pounds ($73 million) just from Shanghai SIPG for Oscar. Despite the windfall, Conte said he hoped the club would not lose any more players to Chinese clubs, which spent more than $600 million on foreign players in 2016. /div>
div> /div>
div>'The Chinese market is a danger for all,' Conte said last month, 'not only for Chelsea, but all the teams in the world.' /div>.....»»

Look up the word versatile in the basketball dictionary and you'll probabyly find a photo of Arwind Santos in the Philippine version of the book.
While his scoring outburts come few and far between at this stage of his PBA career, the man they call Spider-Man is still a terror on defense.
His ability to dominate on the non-fancy side of the floor was once again showcased against Ginebra as the former no. 2 overall pick from Far Eastern University came away with a pair of crucial offensive rebounds in the last 30 seconds and provided the challenge on LA Tenorio's floater that would've sent the game to overtime.
In the end, Santos finished with a mere 10 points but added 12 rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal in another all-around effort.
'Sabi ko nga, bakit ko pa papahirapan ang basketball?' Santos said after the Beermen picked up their sixth straight victory.
'Ang basketball maraming sangkap eh, maraming masarap na sangkap. Andyan ang rebound, puntos, depensa, agaw, blocks. Anytime na hindi pumapasok ‘yung tira ko sa labas, sa three point, kaya ayun, nagbawi ako sa depensa at saka sa rebound. Mabuti nalang naging maganda ang resulta. In the end, panalo,' he added.
With the champs sitting pretty at number one after also being the first to punch a its playoff ticket in the Philippine Cup, Santos also takes a whole different role off the court as he tries to keep his star teammates motivated.
After all, the Beermen are chasing history as they hope to become only the second team in history to win three straight All-Filipino crowns.
'Thankful kami number one kami. Pero ano eh, nakakatakot din,' Arwind admits.
'Siguro yung part ko na i-remind yung bawat isa, kasi minsan nagiging kuntento. Pumapasok yung pagiging relaxed, sana di namin madala yun. Kasi pag kayo ang number one, kailangan mas lalo pa naming dagdagan yung effort namin. Wag kaming magsasawang manalo,' the 2013 PBA MVP added.
With the San Miguel machine performing a peak condition though, it doesn't look like Arwind the team captain will have a hard time keeping his squad in check.
'Walang malaki ang ulo rito. Kumbaga, yun ang pinaka breand and butter namin. Kaya kami nasa number one ngayon, yun ang ganda ng samahan,' he said.
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Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8 .....»»

It wasn't as dominant as their last couple of wins but it was a win regardless.
Two-time defending Philippine Cup champion San Miguel pushed its winning streak to six games after surviving sister team Ginebra in a low-scoring affair, 72-70, Sunday at the Big Dome.
Already assured of a quarterfinal berth after taking care of Blackwater just two days ago, the Beermen have started their quest for a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
The champs also maintained their stranglehold of first place after pushing their record to a near-perfect 7-1.
San Miguel appeared to cruise to a victory, leading by eight with two minutes to go but Ginebra got two booming treys from Joe Devance and LA Tenorio to make things interesting.
With 11 seconds to go, the Gin Kings had the chance to tie or go for the win after Marcio Lassiter missed two crucial free throws but Tenorio's floater was way short against the defense of Arwind Santos.
'I know from the start na this will be a tight game for us dahil I think the energy of our team has gone down since our last game against Blackwater,' head coach Leo Austria said who once again started his post-game talk with his now infamous 'well ah...' remark.
'Mabuti na lang talagang may kaunti pang Petron na laman ang gas tank ng mga players,' he added finding time to put a little product placement here and there.
Despite a broken nose, Alex Cabagnot once again led the Beermen in scoring with 16 points while Santos posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Ronald Tubid came off the bench to add another 10 points for the champs.
Meanwhile, Ginebra's up-and-down season continued as the Gin Kings dropped to 3-4 in the Philippine Cup.
Japeth Aguilar picked up where he left off from Christmas and paced Ginebra with 17 points.
The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 72 - Cabagnot 16, Tubid 12, Santos 10, Fajardo 9, Lassiter 7, Espinas 7, De Ocampo 5, Ross 4, Garcia 2, Heruela 0.
GINEBRA 70 - Aguilar 17, Mercado 11, Tenorio 8, Devance 7, Ferrer 7, Thompson 6, Cruz 6, Ellis 2, Mariano 2, Marcelo 2, Caguioa 2.
Quarters: 15-17, 32-31, 53-49, 72-70
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Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8 .....»»

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Joel Embiid scored 17 of his career-high 33 points in the third quarter and hit a pair of crucial free throws with 12.5 seconds left to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over the Brooklyn Nets 108-107 on Sunday night in a matchup of two of t.....»»

Confident and dangerous, Rain or Shine is out to take solo lead in the 2016-2017 PBA Philippine Cup as the Elasto Painters battle Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel in the main game of Sunday's double-header at the MOA Arena.
Currently at 2-0 after impr.....»»

With one more win, Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel can end eight years of misery in the PBA.
The Gin Kings take the court again Wednesday against the Meralco Bolts at the Big Dome and armed with a 3-2 series lead, Ginebra hopes to win the Governors' .....»»

Sol Mercado's outside game is to be respected. He proved it Sunday as he hit one of the two Ginebra daggers that allowed the Gin Kings to close out Meralco and take a 3-2 series lead in the PBA Governors' Cup Finals.
Adding a new weapon to his.....»»

The PBA Governors' Cup Finals has been an amazing roller-coaster ride four games in, and now, Game 5 is set to be the most important contest of the series barring a possible Game 7.
Meralco and Ginebra meet again Sunday at the Big Dome with bo.....»»

GAINED the upper hand in the ongoing best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup finals last time around, the Meralco Bolts try to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings as they trek back to the cou.....»»